Concordia Journal Home > Archives > May 13, 2010 issue >

Colleagues celebrate 33-year career 

Retirement of Sandra-Lynn Spina

Sandra Spina beamed at her retirement send-off at Newtown held April 30. The gathering reflected the contacts Spina had made over her 33-year career at Concordia. She worked in a number of departments, starting in Psychology and including Marketing Communications and Advancement and Alumni Relations. Spina retired as Director of the Office of the President.

The gathering was a reunion of sorts, drawing together many familiar faces of longstanding employees from all corners of the university. VP Services Michael Di Grappa delivered a very humourous speech, and President Judith Woodsworth joked it was the retirement of her boss.

Spina was recognized for her loyalty to the institution and hard work, as well as for the incredibly successful advertising campaign, “Real Education for the Real World.” She was honoured earlier in the year by the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education, of which she was president from 2005 until 2007 (see Journal, March 18, 2010).

As a gift, Spina was given a piece of artwork by Geraldo Pace, an artist known to Concordia for his Heads of Engineering, located in the EV lobby. She is a fan of his work and was offered a selection to choose from: The chosen work featured a single, exotic flower.

In the photo, Spina is flanked by another recent retiree, Lina Lipscombe, and in the background are Budget Planning and Control Director Irvin Dudeck and University Librarian Gerald Beasley